Terms & Conditions

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern participation in the MAI Awards 2026 ("the Awards"), a 6-month UK-wide campaign operated by MAI Corporation Ltd, celebrating professionals, businesses and craftspeople across the UK stone, worktop and fabrication industries.

By submitting a nomination, entering as a Fabricator or Seller, casting a vote, or otherwise participating on the MAI Awards platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

These Terms should be read alongside our Privacy Policy (Part B of this document), which explains how we collect, use and protect personal data submitted through the campaign.

The MAI Awards 2026 exist to recognise and celebrate excellence, craftsmanship and innovation across the UK stone and worktop industry, spanning natural stone, engineered surfaces and fabrication businesses in England and Wales, through a combination of public voting and independent judging.

The Awards comprise 25 categories across three groups: Natural Stone Awards, Engineered Stone Surface Awards, and Fabricator Awards. Full category names and descriptions are published on the MAI Awards website and may be updated from time to time to ensure fair and accurate representation of the industry.

MAI reserves the right to add, remove, merge or rename categories prior to the close of nominations if reasonably necessary and will publish any such changes on the platform.

Participation operates through two entrant streams and one voting stream:

• Fabricators — businesses or individuals submitting completed projects, installations or customer-service achievements for nomination.
• Sellers — businesses or individuals nominating natural or engineered stone products for recognition.
• Voters — any member of the public, industry professional, or customer casting a vote in accordance with the Voting Rules (Section 7).

Entrants must:

• Be aged 18 or over, or submit on behalf of a registered business by an authorised representative aged 18 or over.
• Operate or trade, at least in part, within the UK stone, worktop or surfaces industry.
• Provide accurate, truthful and non-misleading information in any submission.

Employees, directors and immediate family members of MAI Corporation Ltd and members of the judging panel are not eligible to enter or vote in categories in which they, or a business they are connected to, are nominated.

• Nominations and entries may be submitted by the business itself or by a third party recommending another business or individual for recognition.
• Participation is free of charge. No fee applies to nominate, enter, or vote.
• Entrants may submit to multiple categories, provided each submission is genuinely relevant to the category selected.
• Project entries must be submitted under the Fabricator stream; stone and material nominations must be submitted under the Seller stream.
• All required fields, images and supporting information must be completed accurately before submission.
• Once submitted, entries cannot be edited or withdrawn. Entrants are responsible for checking accuracy before final submission.
• Nominations close on 1 November 2026. Submissions received after this date will not be considered.
• Approved nominations may be displayed publicly on the MAI Awards platform, including business name, project details and submitted images, for the purposes of public voting.

MAI is committed to a fair, transparent process for all entrants and voters. The following conduct is strictly prohibited and may result in disqualification without notice:

• Submitting false, misleading, or plagiarised information, images, or testimonials.
• Attempting to manipulate voting outcomes, including through bots, paid vote farms, coordinated fake accounts, or incentivised voting schemes not authorised by MAI.
• Impersonating another business, individual, or voter.
• Submitting duplicate entries for the same category or same product across multiple categories where it's not genuinely applicable.

MAI reserves the right to verify any submission or vote and to request supporting evidence at its reasonable discretion.

• Voting is open to any member of the public who meets the platform's eligibility requirements.
• Public voting opens 1 November 2026 and closes 31 December 2026.
• Each voter may cast one vote per award category. Only votes submitted from within the United Kingdom will be counted.
• Only one nominee, or one nominated stone/product, may be selected per category, per voter.
• Self-voting, an entrant voting for their own nomination, is strictly prohibited.
• Votes are final once submitted and cannot be changed or withdrawn.
• MAI may use reasonable technical and manual measures (including email verification and duplicate detection) to identify and block fraudulent, duplicate, or invalid votes.

Public voting contributes 70% of the final result in each category; the independent judging panel contributes the remaining 30%.

Following the close of nominations and public voting, an independent judging panel will assess shortlisted entries between 5th and 14th January 2027 against the following criteria:

• Craftsmanship and quality of the finished work
• Innovation in technique, design, or business practice
• Customer impact, drawn from testimonials and feedback
• Industry contribution, including community and sector leadership

The judging panel's decisions, and MAI's decisions on eligibility and compliance generally, are final.

Winners will be announced on 15 January 2027 at the official MAI Awards ceremony and notified directly ahead of the public announcement.

Entrants, finalists and winners agree that MAI may, for the purposes of the campaign and its ongoing promotion:

• Publish their business name, submitted project details, and supplied images on the MAI Awards platform and associated marketing channels.
• Feature finalists and winners in press releases, social media content, the MAI Awards winner's page, and related promotional material.
• Provide finalists and winners with an official badge or logo to display on their own website and social channels.

Entrants may withdraw consent for future promotional use by contacting MAI, though MAI cannot retract material already published prior to the withdrawal request.

Businesses may apply to sponsor the MAI Awards 2026 campaign. Sponsorship arrangements, deliverables and fees are governed by a separate sponsorship agreement issued directly to sponsors and are not covered by these general Terms.

Entrants retain ownership of any images, descriptions, or materials they submit ("Submitted Content"). By submitting content, entrants grant MAI a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to reproduce, display, and distribute that content for the purposes of the MAI Awards 2026.

Entrants warrant that they own or have the necessary rights to submit the content provided.

Photography, video and interview footage captured by MAI remain the property of MAI Corporation Ltd.

The MAI Awards name, logo, and all associated branding remain the property of MAI Corporation Ltd.

MAI reserves the right to review, reject, suspend, or disqualify any submission, nomination, or vote at any stage that:

• Contains misleading, false, or unverifiable information;
• Does not meet the eligibility requirements set out in Section 4;
• Breaches these Terms or MAI's fair voting policy; or
• Attempts to manipulate or misuse the nomination or voting process.

MAI's decisions in relation to eligibility and disqualification are final.

Participation in the MAI Awards 2026 is entirely free and voluntary. MAI Corporation Ltd shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential loss arising from participation in the Awards.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits MAI's liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence or fraud.

MAI does not guarantee any specific level of votes, media coverage, or business outcome.

Entrants agree to indemnify MAI Corporation Ltd against any claims, losses, or damages arising from a breach of these Terms.

MAI reserves the right to postpone, modify, or cancel any part of the campaign where reasonably necessary due to circumstances beyond its control.

MAI may update these Terms from time to time. The version published on the MAI Awards website at the relevant time will apply.

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Any complaint regarding a submission, vote, or the conduct of the Awards should be directed to our support team. We aim to acknowledge complaints within 24 hours.

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, that provision shall be limited to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force.

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between entrants/voters and MAI Corporation Ltd.